[pct-l] Rehydrating Food on the Go

[Brian Forestell]

Here is my two cents worth on rehydrating food.  My buddy and I have been section hiking the PCT for the past five summers.  We dehydrate 80% of our food (depending on resupply options.  We dehydrate our own stuff because we know what is in the food we eat.  We eat well on the trail.

About 2 hours before supper we pour water onto our food to rehydrate and seal it up in a ziplock packing sitting upright in our pack (be careful).  By the time supper comes the meal ir rehydrated requiring very little fuel to heat it up.  If it is hot out, like it was last summer the meals are warmed to lukewarm stage in the pack and could be eaten that way (think of left over chile sitting on the back of the stove at 9:00 at night).  Certain meals take even less time.  Carrying that little bit of water (usually only half a liter between us) is worth it.  Our lasagna and cabbage rolls in the back country make it totally worth it.

Trouble